Seattle
by dksculder
Summary: While working on an x-file, Scully runs into a blast from the past. How will Mulder handle the newest addition to their team, and will that open up new revelations for Mulder and Scully's relationship?
1. Chapter 1

"How do you feel about mind control, Scully?" Mulder asked as he approached her desk. She was working on another report, and didn't glance up at his arrival.

"Are you asking me as your former partner on the x-files, or are you asking for my personal opinion?" She said with a bitter taste in her mouth, shining through in her tone of voice. He winced at the words, knowing their slight rift was due to his reaction at her accusations about Diana. With them not working on cases together, it was harder for him to subtly make up to her as he had done before.

"Well I'd like to believe they're one in the same. Just, uh, look it over and let me know what you think." He said as he gently placed the file on her desk. She still never met his eyes, sighing as he left back to his desk.

Scully's mind was lost for the rest of the day, knowing she desired to work another case with him, to hopefully get over their latest argument, but she knew it wasn't that simple. She knew that it was her jealously taking over her mind and actions, but more so her apprehensions about Diana, and why Mulder was so easy to trust her, just because of their past. As much evidence as she could uncover, he still refused to believe what was right in front of him, accusing her of making this personal. It was personal, she wouldn't even be here pushing papers just to be in the same room as him again if it wasn't. The day passed by in a blur, her mind made up the minute he walked over to her that morning. She knew it wasn't fair to torture him like this all day, since this was his way of apologizing, but she had to find her own amusement, too.

"So what time do we leave?" She said as she sauntered over to his desk. His head shot up to see Scully standing next to his space, arms crossed in a protective stance. He let out a sigh of relief, and flashed her a sheepish smile.

"There's a flight that's heading to Seattle in a little over 4 hours. I already bought the tickets, it'll give us time to pack, and I can pick you up." He said slowly.

"You were so sure I was going to say yes, Mulder?" She said as her eyebrow arched. She pursed her lips to mask the smirk appearing on her face.

"Well, I had hoped. I've already had it cleared, we were called in by the local sheriff, he knows us by reputation apparently. I'll see you soon." He leered at her as he got up, gathering his things to head home. She scoffed, still standing there, shaking her head at the familiar banter. As angry and annoyed as she was at their current situation, she missed this.

Scully made her way home, packing for Seattle, finding herself excited about their first case together after their Diana fight. She knew this was Mulder trying to pass this stalemate between them, though he would never apologize firsthand. She let out a heavy sigh, knowing how hard this assignment would be, but knowing she needed to push through her own emotions, for them. She was startled by the knocking on the door, glancing at the clock, surprised that he was early.

"Lose your key, Mulder?" She said as she opened the door and walked back towards her room to finish packing.

"I, uh, didn't want to just let myself in. I didn't know if-" He began to stutter. She paused, knowing what his apprehensions were. She licked her lips nervously, not replying to ease his worries.

"I'm just about ready, make yourself comfortable, I'll be out in a bit." She said, leaving him standing awkwardly in her living room. This was so unusual for both of them, and they were each walking on eggshells around the other.

The ride to the airport was quiet, neither knowing what to say to the other. Mulder made half-assed attempts at a few jokes, but they all fell flat with her being unamused. They flew through check in, just in time to board the plane. They weren't able to get seats directly next to each other, so he settled for the seats that were only separated by the aisle, keeping a close proximity to her. He stole casual glances in her direction, becoming annoyed as she flirtatiously smiled at the stiff in a suit next to her. She knew what this was doing to Mulder, she could feel the glares burning into her skin, and she loved it.

After they landed, he offered to take her bags, finding any excuse to interrupt her conversation with her new friend. He mentally growled when they exchanged phone numbers, and forcefully grabbed his bag, heading outside.

"Were you planning to leave without me?" She asked pointedly, hiding the smirk touching her lips at his annoyance.

"Didn't seem like you'd notice anyway." He mumbled with a slight growl to his voice.

He helped her into the cab, giving the driver the address. She distractedly pulled out the file, reading over the details, not noticing where they were heading. As they pulled up to their destination, Mulder paid the cab driver, and Scully finally glanced up at the stopping of the vehicle.

"Where are we?" She asked puzzled as she jumped out. Mulder gathered all of their bags as the cabbie drove off. She turned her attention to him, eyes widening with question.

"We're staying here. I figured it would be a nice excuse to take a small break. It's been a long few weeks for us, and this case seems pretty tame, compared to some of our recent expeditions. I just figured-" He stammered. He finally glanced up, hands anxiously in his pockets. "Scully?"

"Yeah, uh-" She wet her lips subconsciously, fighting back the tears that threatened her eyes. "This was, a good idea. Thank you." She finished in a small whisper.

He wordlessly nodded and led her inside the small waterfront inn. It was very homey, and the owner was warm and welcoming. She handed him the key, giving directions to their room. As they approached, Scully could feel the anxiousness radiating from him, and glanced at him with a puzzled expression. When he opened the door, she was about to ask which room she was staying in until the sight before her took her breath away.

Scully slowly made her entrance, taking in the gorgeous scenery. There was a small living room area, with a tiny kitchen connected down the middle. The opposite side of the entryway was a giant, glass window, facing the waterfront. There were two rooms situated on the right and left of the small cabin.

"Mulder..." She whispered. He came up to stand next to her, maintaining his distance.

"I just figured it was a small step up from the usual motels we find ourselves in." He said in a small voice. She avoided his eyes, nodding in agreement. She turned away from him, in search of her bags. She silently gathered her things, and made her way to one of the rooms.

He sighed, knowing this was a small step for them, at least he hoped. She found herself sitting on the edge of her bed, staring out at the water from the window in her room. That specific window overlooked the patio, that happened to have a window with a direct view into Mulder's room as well. She knew this was his version of an apology, but never imagined we would make this much of an effort just to amend their most recent argument. Her stomach began to turn at the thought that this might mean more for them, not that she's never thought about it before, it just never seemed like an attainable reality for her.

The next morning, she emerged from her room, and smiled at the smell of fresh coffee brewing. She slowly approached the kitchen area, dumbfounded at the sight of Mulder cooking something at the stove. She bit her lip, hiding her smile as she walked up behind him. She reached up to gently run her thumb over the back of his neck, making his hair stand on end. His breath caught in his throat at the contact before smiling at the familiar touch.

"Checking for green, oozing blood on the back of my neck, Scully?" He teased without turning to face her.

"Yeah, actually. Picking a nice place to stay, making breakfast, I don't know if I can handle anymore surprises." She teased back. They both enjoyed this small moment of solace, not knowing what today was going to bring.

They made their way to meet with the local sheriff, talking about the case details on the way to the precinct. She enjoyed this small distraction from their real world, thinking maybe this was exactly what they needed.

"You said that the local sheriff requested us? I don't see his name in any of the reports." Scully said as they pulled up to the precinct.

"Yeah, well, if you notice, the sheriff's name on all the reports, was also our last victim. That's what made them request outside help. So the new sheriff is the one who asked for us, by glowing reputation, of course."

"Oh, of course." She said sarcastically.

They made their way inside and were directed to the conference room. As they strolled in, they could see who they assumed was the sheriff, writing more details on the board. His back was facing them, and he didn't notice their arrival.

"Sheriff Coleman?" Mulder asked as they approached further into the room. He turned with a welcoming smile, his grin only growing with his eyes at the sight of Scully.

"Well, well, well. Dana Scully, coming back to break my heart again. I've been preparing for this day." He leered at her.

"Reid! Oh my, you're the sheriff?!" She said as she practically jumped into his arms, embracing in a hug, smile matching his. Mulder's mood immediately plummeted, standing there, feeling like the outsider.

"That I am. Looks like I'm not the only one who made something of themselves, Agent Scully. It is still Scully isn't it?" Reid asked with genuine interest.

"It is, and it's actually Dr. Agent Scully to you." She said with a light laugh Mulder can't remember ever hearing from her. "God, it's so great to see you. It's been years!"

"Yeah, well since someone didn't show up to the reunion a few years back, I just figured you were off with some brilliant doctor husband and your 5 kids, traveling the world, making a difference." He teased at her. It was the first time that she didn't panic at the mention of the life everyone imagined for her. She was happy to have a friend, a good friend, back in her life.

"I was a little busy, saving the world in other ways. You apparently heard of my conquests, considering you requested my partner here for your recent case." She said as she directed her attention back towards Mulder. His head shot up at the word 'partner,' and he smiled sheepishly at them, trying to remain civil. She could see the mixed emotions running through his eyes, and it caused a slight guilt to twist in her stomach. "Reid, this is Agent Fox Mulder. Mulder, this is Reid Coleman, a good friend from high school." She said was a genuine smile as she turned her attention back to Reid.

"Ouch, and here I thought you were coming back to remain true to the pact we made sophomore year. You did promise, and you're a few years late on that." Reid teased at her.

"How on earth do you still remember that?"

"Well, I've been waiting to marry Dana Scully for almost 20 years now." He bumped her arm with his. He turned his attention to Mulder, smile radiating on his face. "This one here told me that if neither of us were married by the time we were 30, we'd marry each other. Looks like she's come back to keep good on that promise." He joked.

"I was 15, and awkward, you really can't hold that against me." She winced and let out a small chuckle, enjoying this lighthearted moment.

"Nice to meet you. If you two are done with your reunion, we can start the briefing on the case." He said with a bitterness in his voice. She rolled her eyes at his behavior, and situated herself on the opposite end of the table from him, next to Reid. This was already setting the mood for this entire assignment, erasing everything good that came from the morning.

They were briefed on the case, Scully smiling and lightheartedly bantering with Reid. Mulder gritted his teeth through the whole meeting, biting back every comment that popped into his head.

"If everyone's ready, we can head on over to the site where the last body was discovered. Maybe science whiz here can find something impressive." Reid teased towards Scully.

"Doubting my abilities?" She challenged with a smile as she playfully punched his chest.

"Well if they're still anything like the sophomore year science fair..."

"That's not fair! It wasn't even my fault that it blew up."

"Are we going to go? I'd like to get some work in today." Mulder said, breaking up their conversation. He knew he wasn't really threatened by the stiff on the plane, but this was different. This was a tall, somewhat decent looking man, with shining blue eyes and a charming grin. Not only that, he had a close relationship with her previously, and Mulder knew he could never compare to that, no matter what they had been through together.

"He always so friendly?" Reid asked as he watched Mulder storm out of the office.

"He-" She let out an exhausted sigh. "We've been through a lot recently, and this case is exactly what he needs to get back into things. He's brilliant, and I know he can seem-" She paused at the stupid grin on Reid's face, and crossed her arms. "What?"

"Nothing, do you always make this many excuses for him?"

"I'm not making excuses."

"Right...well it looks like you did just come back to break my heart like I thought."

She scoffed as he laughed, leading her out the door. They met up with Mulder who was waiting outside, fidgeting with anything he could find. He seemed agitated, and Scully was instantly worried about his demeanor.

"Hey, you okay?" She said in a soft voice as she walked up to cradle his elbow. He sighed at the contact, and quickly shook away his moment of bliss, shadowing it with annoyance.

"Yeah, I'm just fine. Let's go." He said as he nudged her hand away from his arm. He walked towards the sheriff's car just as Reid was pulling up. Scully closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, knowing how exhausting this case was already starting out to be.

"So has Dana here ever shared her high school stories, because trust me, I've got plenty." He said teasing, as he bumped his arm to hers. Mulder chose to sit in the backseat.

"Uh, not really. We just work together, we used to be partners." He said flat toned, completely void of emotion. Scully felt the small jab at her heart from his words, and nervously fidgeted in her seat.

"So, uh, tell me about what's making you and your team believe this has anything to do with mind control? I would have never thought you'd be one to believe in such an extreme solution." She said, changing the subject, avoiding the main issue.

"That, I can assure you I'm not, however, the former sheriff was a strong believer, before he jumped off a cliff to his death. No one could ever imagine him doing something so horrific, but he was becoming mad towards the end there. He would ramble on about not being able to control his own mind, and fight the angry thoughts."

"Were there scans and tests done for any signs of tumor, or brain crippling diseases?"

"Yeah, doc. We covered every possibility we could think of, but we kept coming up empty. The other victims all began to become crazy before they ended their lives as well. We can't find a commonality between them, other than they were all part of an online support group for recovering alcoholics. The locations vary, the lifestyles, gender, age, nothing is similar."

"Well hopefully we can be of assistance." She said with a small smile as she ran her hand up and down his arm in comfort. He smiled back at her, both seeming to forget Mulder was even there.

They arrived at the cliffs, still taped off from the recent occurrence. She took a moment to stand on the edge, letting the breeze and scent of the water wash over her. She felt someone walk up beside her, and began to smile at who she thought it was, until they began to speak.

"You always were one for the ocean. I did hear about your dad, I'm sorry." Reid said. She jumped slightly, and he noticed the smile fade slightly. "Sorry, not who you were expecting to share this moment with?" He asked with amusement in his voice.

"No, I mean, you just startled me." She said bowing her head, licking her lips nervously. "Thank you, though."

"Anytime, Day. You should have called me, he was a good man."

"Yeah, he was." She said with a small smile. She looked up to finally meet his eyes, and saw the familiar, warm sentiments she once knew so well.

"Hey, Scully." Mulder called out from behind them. She gave Reid an apologetic smile before turning her attention back to work.

"Did you find something?" She said as she approached to stand beside him.

"I don't know, is there anything in the lab reports about blood droplets being found at the crime scene?" He asked as he crouched lower to inspect a leaf in the middle of the blocked off area.

"Uh, no, is that what you think this is?" She said as she read through the reports, before leaning in to examine what he was seeing. He leaned in closer to her face, lingering in their close proximity as they've become accustomed to. They exchanged glances at each other's mouths, both holding back their own personal feelings.

"It could be, let's get it back to the lab and see if we can get something off of it."

"Sure, let me get my evidence bag from the car." She said as she moved away from him. Reid stood by, amusingly watching everything play out.

Reid drove them back to the precinct, offering to show Scully to the lab. Mulder joined, more for his own reassurance than anything. Scully excused herself to change into scrubs, leaving the boys to awkwardly wait for her in the lab. Before either could attempt a conversation, the silence was broken by the ringing of a cell phone.

"Yeah, Mulder." He answered, stepping slightly away for his conversation. He didn't notice Scully walk in, having his back faced to both of them. "No, Diana, I can't talk about that right now. I'm a little busy. I'll try to call you later." He said before he disconnected the call.

Reid noticed Scully stiffen and clench her jaw at the mention of the name, and knew there was more to that story. He watched her slip into her Dr. Scully persona, remaining detached from any personal feelings.

"Sorry, I needed to take that." Mulder said as he approached their area again.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You know, you don't really need to be here. I can handle this by myself. I'm going to be running samples and looking over the last victim anyway, so I'll be here a while. Why don't you go back to the room and look over the reports, see if there's anything we missed. I'll call you with an update." She said with finality, not opening it up for discussion.

"Oh, sure, Scully. Just, uh, let me know when you're done, I can swing by and get you." Mulder said, slightly hurt by her dismissal. He knew Diana was a sensitive subject, but he didn't think the mere mention of her name would set her off this much. He had planned to pick up a rental car on his way back to the hotel, so he didn't have to rely on the sheriff to drive them everywhere, but his anger was creating a new plan in his mind.

"That's okay, Reid was going to take me back after we go to dinner. I'll call you with an update." She said offhandedly, already distracted by her work. Mulder nodded wordlessly at no one in particular, and huffed as he exited the lab. She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, knowing she was only making matters worse, but was too stubborn to be the first one to concede.

"Well, I see you two work great together." Reid said sarcastically. Scully was so lost in her thoughts about Mulder, she just wanted to be alone.

"Yeah, we're just going through some things right now. I'm, uh, going to finish this up, and I'll let you know when I'm done. Then we can head to dinner." She said in a small voice.

"You're dismissing me, too? Alright, fine. But don't think you're getting out of dinner." He teased at her, causing a slight smile to touch her lips. She reveled in how easy it was, knowing this is what she could have had.

After she finished running the blood samples with the victim, and checking for anything missed on the last victim, she was mentally and physically exhausted. She changed and made her way back upstairs to Reid's office, and plopped herself down on his small couch.

"Please tell me I don't have to walk to wherever you're taking me." She said tiredly. He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head at her.

"What happened to the all nighter Dana Scully I used to know and love?"

"She's seen some things, and she grew up." She huffed. "You saying you love me less?" She asked with a smirk on her lips.

"Nah, I think you're still alright." He teased at her. "Come on, let's go."

He took them to a small cafe nearby that he frequented, and situated them in an intimate booth.

"So, tell me about your life now, Day. Based on what I've heard about your partner, you've definitely got some interesting stories."

"You could say that. I don't know, I threw myself into work straight after college and med school. I was recruited by the FBI, and found that was the best way for me to really make a difference. My family wasn't too thrilled, but I think they've come to accept it. After working on the x-files, I-" She paused, exhaling deeply. "I don't know, things changed. It challenged me, my beliefs. I've definitely faced some things, lost some important people to me along the way." Her voice began to drift off.

"Do you regret any of it?"

"No, I don't. We do important work, Mulder and I. It's a little unconventional, but I guess everything about us is."

"That would be my next question, what's the deal with you two?"

"There is no deal." She teased, mocking his words. "We've been partners for over 6 years now, we've been through everything together. When we lost the x-files this last time, we, uh, I don't know. There's some things that caused us to drift a little further apart. You would think him racing to Antarctica to save me from a believed underground hidden aircraft would bring us closer together, but-"

"Wait, he risked his life and hunted you down nearly across the world to save you? Jesus, Day, I love you, but even that's a little much."

"We would do anything for each other, he's my best friend, that's all."

"You saying it's implausible that your best friend could love you? Because I can tell you from firsthand experience that that's actually highly likely."

"Reid, you're a good guy, I've missed you." She said as she reached out to grasp his hand on the table.

"I've missed you, too, kid. Nice change of the subject there, avoiding the question." He teased, calling her out on what she knew was true. "Let's get dessert to go, we can head back to the hotel, hang out with your boyfriend so he's not so moody later."

"He's not my boyfriend, but you're right, I should probably check on him." She said with a heavy sigh. She knew Mulder was in a mood, and Reid played a big part of that, but she hoped this was a happy compromise.

They made their way back to the small inn, and she led him to the quarters. She could hear Mulder on the phone in his room as she entered the main area, and instantly squared her jaw, assuming he was talking to Diana.

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable, I'll let him know we're back." She said as she slowly approached his door. It was slightly open, and she listened in through the sliver.

"Yeah, whichever the first flight is. There's nothing tonight? Yeah, fine tomorrow morning." He said annoyed. She gritted her teeth and pushed open his door just as he was providing his information.

"Hang up the phone." She said sternly, hands planted on her hips.

"I'm sorry, can you hold for a moment?" He said as he placed his hand over the speaker of the phone. "Scully, I'm a little busy. Can we talk when I'm done?"

"Not if you're doing what I think you're doing, and booking the next flight out of here. Hang up the damn phone, Mulder." Her voice rising with anger.

"Yeah, I'll have to call back to finish the reservation. Hold my spot." He said as he disconnected the call. "Happy? I didn't think you'd notice if I wasn't helping on the case anymore, you definitely didn't need my help today." He scoffed as he threw his phone on the bed.

"Stop being such a stubborn jackass for once, and consider that maybe not everything is about you. I kicked you both out of the lab until I finished, just so you know. What the hell is with you anyway? Ever since we got here, you've been moping around, being a tenacious jerk."

"Well sorry for not being a ray of fucking sunshine every minute of the day, sorry to disappoint. Shouldn't you be on a date right now anyway?" He said as he grabbed his jacket and pushed passed her out of the door.

"It wasn't a date! Would you stop and actually talk to me for two seconds? Jesus, Mulder." She huffed as she followed him. He stopped in his stride, and scoffed at the sight of Reid on the couch in the living room. He turned and glared at Scully.

"Enjoy your date." He said as he blew out the main door, slamming it behind him. She remained in her spot, wetting her lips and fighting back the tears.

"I can't stand him sometimes. He drives me absolutely insane." She said as she finally moved to plop herself down next to Reid.

"That didn't look like just friends and coworkers to me. I know I don't know all the details, but I haven't seen people fight with that much passion since before my parents got divorced. The only difference, is I didn't think they still had a chance."

"It's not like that with us, we're-"

"Just partners, friends, yeah I've heard the story. Have either of you ever expressed that you wanted something...more?"

"No, I mean, I don't think so. I wouldn't say that."

"Oh, so there's stories to tell, come on Day, spill."

"I mean, he's told me he loved me, but he was hopped up on every pain medication possible after I rescued him from another stupid venture. We, uh, almost kissed, once. Right before Antarctica."

"Wait, wait. So, he almost kisses you, then saves your life, and you don't even repay the guy with a follow up of the almost kiss? Geez Day, now I know why there's so much tension around here."

"Shut up, it's not like that. It was just an in the moment thing. It shouldn't have even gotten that far." She said as she playfully hit him on the arm. He chuckled and shook his head at her.

"Honey, I've seen you go through a few guys in my time, but this is the worst I've seen you. You've never been this shaken by an argument with someone you care about before, no matter how much you try to hide it."

"He's my best friend, and things have been hard since, just since some things have happened."

"So you keep saying. Well, as much as I would love to hang around, I know when I've overstayed my welcome. I hope everything works out, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm sorry, for how he acted. It doesn't have anything to do with you.

"Oh, it has everything to do with me, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can maybe allow yourself what you've been hiding from." He said as he placed a gentle kiss on her temple. She smiled at the contact, and walked him to the door.

He began to walk away, before turning and leaning in to kiss her chastely on the lips. She was surprised by the action, and as much as she knew she could be happy with the sentiment, it wasn't the person she wanted to share it with.

"Reid..." She began to say in a small whisper. He leaned in closer, his mouth lingering just before hers.

"Relax, you're boyfriend's waiting at the end of the walkway, I'm assuming for me to leave. You can thank me later." He said as he whispered into her mouth. She bit her lip and shook her head at him, knowing Mulder must be going out of his mind right now.

She began to get herself ready for bed, waiting for his return. When she heard the door open, she slowly made her way to lean against the doorframe of her room. She could see him attempting to sneak into his room unnoticed, and smiled to herself.

"Are you still leaving tomorrow?" She startled him, asking in a small voice.

"I don't know. I didn't book the flight yet, but - I don't know." He said frustrated with the events of the first day. He didn't know if he could last an entire weekend having to be around Scully and Reid, flirting the way they do.

"Don't. Mulder, we're here on assignment, one that you wanted to take, might I add."

"Yeah, but I didn't know that-" His voice cut off, realizing what he was about to reveal about his true feelings. "Diana asked me to help her with another case, and considering you're handling things here, I just figured I could be of more assistance back in DC."

He knew that the mention of Diana's name would only make matters worse, but he couldn't control the pettiness building inside of him.

"Fine. Go running at her beck and call." She said as she huffed, turning to go back into her room. He instantly felt guilty, knowing everything was becoming immensely twisted.

"Scully..." He said quickly as he began to step towards her. He stopped in his stride as she whipped herself around and glared at him, eyes fuming.

"Did you ever consider that I took this case, not just because you asked, but because I thought it would be our opportunity to move forward from this impasse we've found ourselves in. Apparently I'm the only one that felt that way though, that's been made perfectly clear now. Maybe it's because I'm making this personal, again." She said as she turned on her heels, slamming the door behind her as she hid in the privacy of her own room.

She ignored him calling after her, fighting back the tears in her eyes. He stood in the small living room, head hanging, replaying the words in his head. He knew as soon as he said them, he wanted to take them back. Every action he had taken since she was first abducted, was led by personal feelings. One day, he'd be able to tell her, apologize, but now was not that time. He knew he had a challenge before him with Reid in the way, but he was going to make this getaway what he originally planned. He went to his room, leaving the flight home unbooked, waiting for tomorrow to be a new day for them.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Scully roused from a restless night of sleep. Her mind was bouncing in so many different directions, she didn't know what bothered her more. She knew things were going to be difficult to amend with Mulder, and having Reid around was complicating things, but she found some small amusement in the jealously that she knew he felt. She knew the feeling well, considering she felt it anytime Diana was even so much as mentioned, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She got herself ready for the day, worried that Mulder was too stubborn to stay, even for her. She exhaled deeply as she slowly opened her bedroom door, not entirely sure as to what to expect. She walked further into the small living room area, but there was no sign of Mulder. His bedroom door was still closed, but she couldn't imagine he would still be asleep, if he slept at all. She licked her lips subconsciously, fighting back the tears that dare threaten to escape her eyes. She knew everything between them was so twisted, but didn't think he would ever just walk away. She began to make coffee, losing her appetite for anything else, and was startled when the main door opened.

"Mulder...hi, good morning." She said in a small voice as she turned her head away from him, hiding her wet eyes.

"Hey, Scully, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly as soon as he saw the expression on her face and the unshed tears in her eyes.

"Nothing, I'm fine. I, uh, would you like some coffee?" She remained avoiding his gaze, knowing he would be able to read right through her.

"Yeah, sure thanks. I went for a run, so I'm going to shower and change really quick."

"Okay, sounds good." He hated this. They never had to do the mundane small talk before, and neither really knew how to handle their current situation. He knew he should apologize for his behavior yesterday, but he also knew he couldn't control how he acted any time he saw them both together. It was driving him crazy, but he didn't want the distance to grow so big that they couldn't fix this.

"Hey, uh, I just wanted to say sorry, for yesterday. I don't know what got into me, maybe it really was an alien clone taking over me." He said as he stopped on the walk to his room. He smiled apologetically at her, and she allowed her lips to curve into a small smile.

"It's okay, I think there's just been a lot of stress lately. Does this mean you're staying?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah, we've got a case to finish, and who better to solve it than us." He said with a wink before finally escaping to his room. She smiled at the familiar banter between them, missing this.

When he finally emerged from getting ready, she was hanging up the phone with Reid. She had a bright smile on her face, and Mulder's stomach began to turn. It wasn't that he didn't like to see her happy, it's just that it was a rare occurrence and sight for him. It upset him most that he wasn't the one to put it on her face. He pushed aside his personal feelings for now, trying to remain civil for her.

"Hey, Reid just called and said the lab reports are back. We have a meeting set up with the last victim's wife, so we'll meet him at the house there." She said, smile still present on her face. Little did Mulder know, she was smiling because of him. Reid had made a point to tease her about him when he heard the lightness in her voice that morning.

"Is that all he said?" Mulder huffed, wincing at his own tone of voice. He didn't mean for it to sound so bitter, he was trying. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come off that way."

"Can I ask you something?" She said in a hushed voice, almost as if she was afraid.

"Uh, sure. You can ask me anything, Scully."

"I just get the feeling that you don't like him. Is there a reason for that?"

"I don't even know him. I'm just trying to work this case, and solve it. There's nothing more to it than that." He lied, not even convincing himself of his own words.

"You've just seemed so, agitated, since you met him. When we first got here, I just thought this trip was more about-" She paused, not ready to face those emotions. "Nothing, maybe I'm just overthinking."

"Or maybe you're thinking is right on point." He said slowly, both understanding the implications being made. They caught each other's gaze, passing silent sentiments between each other with their eyes. He nodded wordlessly before clearing their coffee cups. "We should get going."

The car ride was silent, both stealing subtle glances over at the other, minds lost in the unspoken conversation from the morning. As Mulder pulled up to the house, he could see Reid leaning against his car, flashing the charming grin at them as they parked. He rolled his eyes, and aggressively unbuckled his seat belt. Scully bit her lip to hide the smirk forming, reveling in the jealous side of him.

"Well if it isn't the troublemaker, and her partner." Reid teased at her.

"You know, that may be the first time I've been called the troublemaker in this equation."

"That's because they don't know you that well. Mulder, has Dana ever told you about the time in junior year when she stole a car, running away from-"

"Reid Coleman, don't you dare finish that sentence. Not if you know what's good for you."

"Oh come on, Scully. It sounded like he was getting to the best part." Mulder said as he bumped her arm with his. She glanced towards him with a shy smile, silently thanking him for at least trying. He nodded, and she turned her gaze away towards Reid who watched in amusement.

"I'll have to tell you about it later, maybe we can find something to keep her in the lab for a few hours." Reid said jokingly as he led them towards the house.

"Not funny, either of you." She huffed, relieved that they were both playing nice. They made their way inside, Reid making casual pleasantries with the sheriff's widow. He made the introductions as they all sat down.

"I just don't know how much more I can help you, I've already told you everything I know." Mrs. Sanders explained exhaustedly.

"We appreciate your cooperation, it's been a big help to us. We used to work in a unit called the x-files, working with unexplained phenomena. We understand that your husband's demeanor completely changed right before he died?" Mulder asked warmly.

"That's one way to describe it I suppose. He just went completely crazy, shouting about the voices in his head telling him to do things he didn't want to. I took him to the doctor, but they said there was nothing they could find. That was the day before he died." She huffed, sniffling back a few unshed tears.

"Was there any indication that he might have been drinking again?" Scully asked, assuming her medical persona.

"My husband was sober for nearly 15 years, and even when he did drink, it was never like that. He was a regular at AA meetings, and part of online support groups to share his stories. He took it seriously, he wanted to help people recover in any way that he could."

"What about this website, did he ever mention anything about it?" Mulder asked as he placed the information before her. She looked it over with a blank expression.

"Not that I can recall. Like I said, he was part of several support groups. Oh! Wait, this one was new. He received a sort of welcoming package from them a few days before he died." She said as the realization came to her. She got up from her seat to retrieve the envelope filled with pamphlets and brochures. "I suppose you can have this if you think it will help."

They all finished their questioning, and made their way outside. Mulder's mind was buzzing, and Scully could see the theories forming by the way his eyes were shining.

"Care to share with the class?" She asked lightly as he finally broke himself from his thoughts, he smiled guiltily at her, enjoying the fact that she knew him so well.

"I think it's time for me to sign up for a new website subscription." Mulder said as he wagged his eyebrows playfully at her. She shook her head with a small chuckle.

They made their way back to the precinct, and Mulder immediately situated himself at a computer. He began to fill in his personal information into the website, using the address of the hotel as his own.

"I feel like I'm filling out a dating profile." He huffed.

"When's the last time you made a dating profile, Mulder?" Scully asked with the arch of her eyebrow. Reid suppressed the chuckle forming, and Mulder looked up guiltily at her.

"Oh, look at that. I should be receiving my welcome package in about two days. Think you can take a closer look at the contents Mrs. Sanders gave us?" He asked as he began to get up from the table.

"And where exactly do you think you're going?" She said with her hands planted on her hips.

"I've got a few things to check out, I'll call you in a bit. Let me know if you find something."

"Mulder, please don't do anything stupid, I don't have that kind of energy today." She said with a smirk on her lips.

"Scully, you wound me by your lack of faith. I'll be good, I promise." He leered at her as he made his exit. Reid let the laugh he was holding in escape, and Scully turned to glare at him.

"No comments from you." She said as she grabbed the evidence and made her way down the lab. He knew these two would never get anywhere in their relationship, without a little help. He smiled to himself as he devised a plan in his mind.

Scully spent the better part of the day in the lab, looking over the blood results and trying to find any small trace of a substance on the evidence. She was coming up empty, and the frustration began building. She yanked off her gloves and threw them angrily in the trash.

"I hope your bedside manner is that welcoming, too." Reid teased as he strolled into the lab. She scoffed at him, and shook her head as the smirk touched her lips.

"If you just came to harass me, I'll kick you out of my temporary lab again." She teased back.

"Ouch, and here I was coming to offer a nice dinner, giving you all Seattle has to offer."

"Well if Seattle's paying, I suppose I can't refuse." She said lightly. Neither noticed that Mulder was standing at the entrance, overhearing their entire conversation. His heart dropped, and he didn't know how much longer he could play nice. He began to silently turn and leave until he was stopped.

"Mulder! Great, just in time. I'm offering to take you guys out tonight, show you the best of Seattle. What do you say?" Reid said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Oh, uh, yeah sure. If you don't mind." He said as he glanced more towards Scully, asking the silent question. She nodded and bowed her head to hide the color rising to her cheeks.

"Perfect. I'll give you guys some time to wrap things up, and I'll swing by to pick you up around 7. See you both then." Reid said as he made his exit, leaving the two to awkwardly stand in the lab together.

"Scully, I don't want to impose on your date, I can decline." He said as he moved towards her slowly.

"Hey, no, he invited both of us. It'll be fun, I mean, if you want to go." She said in a small voice. She glanced up at him, expectant eyes shining. "But it is not going to be an evening of sharing Dana Scully stories. I'll tell you that right now." She said as she playfully patted at his chest with her finger. He chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Fine, but if he starts it, I can't help but to join in. You wanted us to bond, remember?"

"I'm already starting to regret this." She groaned. "I'm going to wrap some things up here, I'll meet you upstairs and we can head back to the hotel?" He nodded and made his way to the main floor. She bit her lip as she cleaned up the lab, knowing what this evening could mean for them.

She knew that Reid would help her push past the walls she put up over the years, finding a comfort in an old friend. She could only hope that it would allow her to open up to Mulder in ways she would have never imagined.

"Hey, ready to go?" Mulder asked as she walked towards him.

"Uh, yeah. Hey do you mind if I drop you off at the hotel and then take the rental before dinner? I just want to find something nice to wear that's not a suit." She said with a gleam in her eyes. His stomach began to turn at the thought that she was dressing to impress Reid, and he gritted his teeth, biting back the comments threatening to escape.

"Sure, Scully. Let's go." He said shortly. She rolled her eyes at his change in attitude, already assuming what conclusions he was jumping to. Little did he know, she wanted to look good for him.

She dropped him off and made her way to the nearest mall. She rummaged through several stores, nothing catching her eye the way she hoped. When she realized how late it was getting, she made one final stop, and found the perfect dress. She smiled to herself at the way she looked in it, and knew it was just the thing to drive Mulder absolutely crazy.

When she arrived back to the hotel, she saw Mulder sitting on the couch watching TV, waiting for her.

"I was starting to think you went off to dinner without me." He said monotoned.

"Sorry, it was a little crazier than I expected. I'm going to get changed, he should be here shortly. You should get ready, too." She said pointedly at his casual wear.

"You sure you still want me to go? I'm totally fine with kicking back here, watching the game." He said with a pout. She shook her head at him, and he let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, I'll go change."

As she got ready, she put on her new dress, and ran her hand over the shiny, silky material. She smiled at herself, and added a subtle touch of makeup to her look. She grabbed her coat and put it on over her outfit, wanting to catch Mulder, and possibly Reid, off guard in the moment.

The knock on the door startled her from her thoughts, and she could hear Mulder and Reid making casual pleasantries. She smiled and made her presence known. Reid smiling warmly at her as he walked over to place a small kiss on her cheek. She looked up at him, a grin touching her lips as she playfully glared her eyes at him.

"You look beautiful, Day. You guys ready to go?" He said excitedly.

"Are you going to tell us where we are going, or is that all part of the surprise?" She asked suspiciously.

"Nah, I know how much you love surprises." He teased as she scoffed. Mulder shook his head, knowing Reid was playing with fire.

They all three made their way to a small, intimate restaurant right on the waterfront. The entire place was lit by dim candlelight, and small twinkling lights hanging above the tables. Scully's breath caught in her throat at the beautiful sight before them, and Mulder reveled in the gleam in her eyes. Reid knew his plan was working, and escorted them to their table.

"It's stunning, don't tell me you've actually grown up?" Scully asked teasingly as they approached the table. She looked at him puzzled by the arrangement, considering there were only 2 seats.

"I would like to think so. This, is the other part of the surprise. I won't be joining you two, I've had something come up. It's all still on me, so enjoy." He leaned in to place another gentle kiss on her cheek. She looked up at him in disbelief, now realizing what his plan was all along. Her eyes grew wide, not knowing if she was ready to take this step with Mulder.

"Reid Coleman, what do you think you're doing?" She hissed just low enough for him to hear. He flashed her a sly grin, enjoying how flustered she was becoming, knowing she needed this push.

"Enjoy yourself, let him know the Dana Scully I know and love. Stop running from your feelings." He whispered into her ear. Mulder looked over at their closeness and visibly scoffed as he watched them interact. She licked her lips nervously before glancing over to catch Mulder's gaze. She could see the raw emotions flooding through him by the look in his eyes, and knew Reid was right.

She wordlessly nodded and began to take off her coat, wanting to get back at Reid for his last minute change of plans, and needing reassurance that Mulder felt the way that she had hoped he did. When they both caught sight of her appearance, she could see the twinkle in both of their eyes, and relished in this moment and the effect she had on them.

The dress she had deemed perfect was a deep blue color, making her eyes shine. It was silky, and hung on her curves, accentuating them in the best possible way. It silhouetted her figure, and was cut just above her knees. The top was low enough to show an modest amount of cleavage, and the sleeves hung off her arms, displaying her bare shoulders. She smirked at them as she took her seat, and Reid glared his eyes at her.

"You owe me." He growled as he turned his attention to Mulder, who was still standing there at a complete loss at the sight before him.

"Wh - what?" Mulder asked as he was finally shaken from his thoughts.

"There's been a change of plans, Reid here had something come up, so it's just you and me tonight, if that's okay?" She asked in a small voice, worried for his response. He tried to hide the smile touching his lips, as he situated himself in the seat across from her.

"Have fun." Reid teased as he made his exit. Scully shook her head at him, already thinking of ways to get back at him later. She shyly situated herself across from Mulder, biting her lip before exhaling deeply.

"Sorry I'm not the company you were expecting." He said as he smiled sheepishly at her. Oh, if he only knew. "You look really nice tonight, Scully."

"Thanks, I take every opportunity I can to get dressed up. It's definitely a rare occurrence." She huffed. She looked up from her menu, noticing the guilty, almost hurt expression cloud his face. She knew that between them, it wasn't going to be easy to uncover their true feelings.

"Well I'm glad Reid could give you that chance, too bad he had to leave early. I'm assuming you bought the dress to impress him?" He said almost bitterly. He sighed at his own foolishness, knowing he wasn't helping their current situation.

She raised her eyebrow at him, gritting her teeth in response to his bitterness. After discovering what Reid's plan was, she silently vowed to make this night special for her and Mulder. He was making that difficult by the minute.

"Whether I did or not, I don't see how that's any of your concern." She said, annoyance rising.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad. It was just an observation." He said genuinely, trying to ease the mood. They caught each other's gaze for a moment, and both nodded in their silent apology.

They finished their evening, keeping their conversation rather simple. She opened herself up a little more than usual, and he enjoyed the lightheartedness that they shared. This entire instance was a rare moment for them, and they both didn't want it to end.

"Do you want to go for a walk along the water before we head back? It's, uh, a nice night, that's all." He asked nervously. She smiled and bowed her head to hide the color rising to her cheeks. She nodded slightly, but sighed heavily at the sound of her phone ringing.

"Hold that thought." She said as she answered the phone. Reid was calling to say there was a break in the case, and a new potential victim. "Yeah we'll be right there."

"Duty calls?"

"Yeah, we need to head over to the hospital a few hours from here. There was someone brought in, displaying some of the same symptoms as our previous victims."

"Well then, let's go, partner." He said emphasizing the last word. She flashed him an appreciative smirk, enjoying being with him again.

They made a comfortable trip to the hospital, not having a chance to change from their dinner. When she arrived, Reid gleamed his charming grin at her, and Mulder scoffed silently.

"I'd let you be my doctor dressed like that any day." He teased at her.

"Would you shut up." She said masking the chuckle forming, she playfully swatted his arm, loving how easy it was between them. "Where's our most recent victim, Sheriff Coleman?"

"Ouch, wound me with the formalities. Follow me this way, Dr. Agent Scully." He said as he led them to a room. There was a small window that they could inspect the middle aged woman from. She was sitting in her bed, knees held to her chest by her arms, rocking back and forth. There was indistinct mumbling coming from her lips, as the fear shone through her eyes.

"Have they found anything in her blood work?" Scully asked as she scanned the hospital chart.

"They found a trace of a hallucinogen in her blood, one that's never been detectable in the others, but we've always found them after the fact. We can't tell how it was ingested." Reid explained, briefing them on everything he knew so far.

"I guess this is where my expertise comes in. I'm going in to talk to her." Mulder said quietly, already devising a plan of action in his mind.

"Mulder-" Scully began to say before pausing to catch his eyes. "Just, be careful. We don't know what she thinks is happening in her mind, and the drug obviously hasn't been flushed out of her system yet."

"I'll yell for my partner if I need her." He said with a wink before making his way into the small room. Reid and Scully stayed on the outside, watching and listening in from the window.

"I never did ask, other than his expertise in the paranormal, what is it that he did for the FBI prior?" Reid asked, visibly seeing how he was already getting through to the woman.

"He was recruited straight from Oxford, studied psychology. He used to be a criminal profiler for Violent Crimes. The way he finds himself in the minds of these monsters, will forever amaze me. As aggravating and exhausting as he is, he's one of the best agents I've ever worked with." She said with a hint of pride in her voice.

"That's not a bias opinion or anything, right?" Reid teased.

"Shut up." She said as she bumped her shoulder to his arm.

"So how did your date go anyway?"

"It wasn't a date, no thanks to you. I still owe you for that one, by the way."

"And here I thought I was doing you a favor."

"You tricked me!"

"Helped. I helped you. You need to push past these walls you've so evidently put up around yourself over the years. Especially with him, Day. You've been through too much together to maintain this distance."

"I know." She said with a heavy sigh. "I just don't know how he feels, how I even feel. Or maybe I'm not ready to face those emotions. I don't know." She scoffed.

"Maybe you're not as smart as I remember, because if you don't know how he feels about you, you're more of a lost cause than I thought. I take it nothing special happened tonight?"

"Oh, well we were getting ready to rip each other's clothes off, but you called and ruined the moment." She said playfully with a shrug. He laughed and shook his head at her, remembering how much he loved her sarcasm.

"Well it looks like he's just about done, so you can resume those actions back at your hotel." He wagged his eyebrows at her. Her eyes grew slightly wide, realizing they would have to eventually resume their evening and where it was possibly leading earlier.

"What, uh, did she say? We could only hear so much." Scully asked as he approached them. She stepped in front of Reid to stand in Mulder's personal space, as they had become accustomed to.

"I got her to admit to receiving the welcome package, but other than that she doesn't remember much. She said there were online registration instructions, but she doesn't know how she inhaled the drug. She was tired, so hopefully we can get more after they flush her system and she has time to rest them off." He said with a heavy sigh, frustrated with no new information in the case.

"Okay, we'll have a guard kept on her overnight, and see if we can get more out of her tomorrow. Good work, Mulder." Reid said with an impressed nod. Scully's eyes were shining at the praise he was receiving, and he smiled shyly. "Well I'm staying overnight here, but you two should head back. I'll call you if there's an update, but otherwise we can plan to meet back here tomorrow afternoon. I'll have the blood samples sent to the lab in Seattle so you can have a look at them yourself in the morning before you head back."

"Sounds good, thank you." Scully said with a genuine smile.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening." Reid whispered into her ear before planting another lingering kiss on her cheek. He nodded towards Mulder with a sly grin on his face, making his exit. Mulder clenched his jaw, instantly annoyed by the action. He turned on his heels and stalked out towards the car.

"Where's the fire, Mulder?" She asked as she caught up to him just in time to situate herself in the passenger seat before he sped off.

"It's just getting late, thought we should head back right away." He said completely void of emotion, irritation clouding his face.

"I, uh, had a nice evening tonight." She said in a small voice, trying to break through his stubbornness.

"You should probably thank Reid for that."

"I'll make sure to thank him for the setting, but he's not the one I went to dinner with." She mumbled just low enough for him to hear. She turned her face to gaze out the window, avoiding his eyes. He glanced over to her, not sure if he understood what she was implying.

The rest of the car ride was quiet all the way back to the hotel. When they arrived, she grabbed her things more forcefully than she anticipated, and stalked to the main door. She realized she didn't have the keys, and had to wait for him to catch up to open it for her. She crossed her arms, still not meeting his eyes. They were both annoyed for different reasons, and too stubborn to come to the right conclusions.

As soon as he opened the door, she pushed her way past him to find some privacy in her room. She stopped in her stride, replaying Reid's words in her head. She knew she was building the walls up even more, and they would never come down if they both kept avoiding their feelings. She turned to see him slowly making his way to his room, and her voice stopped his movements.

"Mulder..." She said with a shaky breath. She exhaled deeply, gaining the courage she needed. "You were wrong, he wasn't the one I was trying to impress with my dress. Good night." She said as she turned just in time to hide her smirk that was forming in response to his wide-eyed expression. She leaned against the door, proud of herself for taking this step, and only hoping that their relationship could move forward from here.


	3. Chapter 3

Scully woke the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee, and smiled sleepily to herself. As she sluggishly got out of bed, she went to grab her robe, but thought against it, after her recent late night revelation. She fixed her slightly disheveled appearance, and a smirk appeared on her face at the sight of her flannel pajama pants and her tight fitting tank top, sans bra.

As she made her way into the main living room and kitchen area, Mulder's back was to her, and she slowly crept up behind him. She stretched up on her tip toes, and leaned into his back to see what he was cooking. He stiffened and startled at first, before relaxing into the contact, a smile touching his lips.

"I thought we already established that I have the ability to cook, Scully?" He said jokingly, still not turning to face her.

"I think it's going to surprise me every time." She teased as she hopped up on the counter next to where he was standing at the stove. She stole a piece of fruit from the bowl and he finally turned to playfully glare at her. His eyes widened slightly as he took a subtle glance at her outfit and he swallowed the lump in his throat. She smirked into her coffee cup, reveling in the effect she had on him.

"Well maybe you should get used to it." He said in a small voice, realizing the possible implications of his words. She slowed her chewing, and mulled over the thoughts bouncing around in her mind. If they fell into this comfortable routine in just one morning, who's to say they couldn't always do this? They both knew they were avoiding the confrontation of their feelings, but enjoying the lightness between them.

"I, uh, thanks for making breakfast again." She said as she cleared her throat.

"Oh, you thought this was for you? I mean, I guess I could make you some, too." He said as she playfully hit his arm.

"Shut up, Mulder." She said before catching her breath at the realization of their close proximity. She didn't know how they moved so close together, but his mouth was lingering just before hers. Just as both of their mouths opened slightly to each other, the ringing of the phone caused him to close his eyes and exhale deeply in defeat.

"Yeah, Mulder." He answered annoyed at the moment being lost.

"Oh, sorry, I thought I was calling Dana's phone. There's been a development, the latest victim strangled herself just an hour ago after they made their morning rounds. She figured out the switch off schedule, and found her opportunity. Whatever drug was in these people's system is stronger than we thought." Reid explained exhaustedly.

"Do you need us to meet you up there at the hospital, or are you heading back here then?"

"I was actually hoping Day could head to the lab right away and get whatever she can find from the blood samples. We need to figure this drug out and where it's coming from if we are going to stop it. Can I speak with her for a moment?"

"Oh, right, sure." Mulder said slightly flustered, not realizing he had even picked up Scully's phone on accident. He handed the phone to her sheepishly, and she gave him a puzzled look.

"Scully."

"I really hope that him answering your phone means it got mixed up last night while you two finished your evening." Reid teased into the phone. Color instantly tinged her cheeks and she bowed her head, turning slightly away from Mulder.

"What can I help you with, Sheriff Coleman?" She said pointedly, trying to mask the embarrassment in her voice. He knew her better than that, calling her bluff.

"So I was interrupting something, oh do tell."

"Would you stop? God, some things never change." She said as she shook her head. "What do you want?"

"Well I already briefed your boyfriend on the newest developments, so he can fill you in on the details, amongst other things, I'm sure." He leered into the phone. "Basically the lady, even though insane out of her mind, was brilliant enough to figure out rounds and switch off schedules to strangle herself earlier this morning. I need you to use these skills you claim to have and find something magical in her blood."

"Geez, this drug must be incredibly powerful. She was being flushed with fluids for almost 24 hours, and she still managed to kill herself. I'll get ready and head over the lab, are you meeting us back here then?"

"Yeah, I mean, if that's not intruding on your date or something." He teased.

"Thanks for the information, Sheriff Coleman. My partner and I will see you soon." She said mocking the formalities of her statement. She smiled as she hung up the phone, it fading from her lips as she noticed the annoyed look on Mulder's face. He was moving his food around on his plate, appetite lost already.

"After breakfast we can head down to the precinct. Reid filled you in on the newest information?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah, somehow I don't think I got the fun breakdown you did though." He unintentionally spat at her. He gritted his teeth, not even an ounce of apology running through his mind.

"He's my friend, I'm not going to apologize for that. I've known him for years, so yeah, things are different with us." She said defensively.

"I just thought you'd be able to maintain a professional demeanor while we're working an active case. I never pegged you for one to let your personal relationships affect the way you behave at work." He said through a clenched jaw. He could feel her glare burning through the top of his head, his gaze facing towards his plate, avoiding her eyes.

"How dare you. I never -" She stopped her words, exasperated with the man before her. "Maybe you're right, maybe I just make things personal all the time." She threw her fork on her plate and got up from her seat angrily, stalking to her room and slamming the door behind her.

He remained sitting at the table, cradling his head in his hands, eyes closed. He knew he was being a hypocrite, letting his own personal feelings get in the way of how he was acting towards her recently. He wanted to apologize, but knew it was hopeless because he would lose his mind at the next Reid interaction. He cleaned up the kitchen and was startled by the knocking at the door.

"Reid, you got here fast." He said monotone, already agitated by his presence.

"Yeah, I was already heading back when I called. Dana called and asked for a ride to the precinct, she said you were going to check in on something else?" Reid asked with genuine interest. He could tell she was upset on the phone, but she wasn't giving up any information, not that he expected her to right away.

"Oh, I wasn't aware there was a change of plans." Mulder said, trying to hide the pain in his voice.

"There is. I'm going to have Reid take me to the lab, why don't you wait here for the mail. You should be receiving the package today, so call us when it arrives and we can go from there." She said sternly as she walked into their conversation, leaving no room for argument.

Mulder and Scully glared at each other, having a silent, intense discussion with their eyes. He gritted his teeth as she pursed her lips, and she stalked past him out the front door. Reid could feel the tension in the room, and just followed her wordlessly.

"So, we going to talk about it?" Reid asked cautiously as they got into the car.

"Nope." She said with finality, knowing that wasn't really the end of the conversation. She knew it was almost a 10 minute car ride, and Reid would use every second to pull it out of her any way he could until reaching success. She let out a heavy sigh of concession, knowing she was already going to lose this battle. "I might as well just tell you, you won't leave me alone until I do."

"Ah, see, you are still smart after all. What happened? It was like I had walked into a battlefield of emotions back there."

"He's just so-" She growled in frustration. "He has been nothing but a tenacious jerk this entire trip. I don't know what's got into him, but I can't handle it anymore. He accused me of making things personal, but it seems to me that he's letting whatever the hell is wrong with him cloud his behavior." She scoffed as everything came flowing out of her.

"Do you want my opinion?"

"Do I even have a choice?"

"Yeah, you're right. It's just up to you to listen to it. Day, the only reason he's acting that way is because he's insanely jealous. He wants to be the one to make you smile, and laugh, and be the only guy in your life that can do that. I'll admit, I've been pushing him just to watch him react, but it's only proving my point."

"It's not like that with us. That's not-"

"Okay, for the advice thing to work, you're going to have to be honest with yourself first. I knew the minute you walked into my office that I never had a chance. You two have this crazy connection that no one could ever come between."

"No one except busty brunettes of his past." She mumbled under her breath.

"Ah, so there's more to the story then."

"It's just-" She said with a heavy sigh of resignation, knowing she needed to talk to someone about it. "He had this woman come back into his life unexpectedly, and they had a - past. My gut told me that I couldn't trust her, but he insisted at following her down whatever rabbit hole she led him to. When I confronted him about her, with facts, he accused me of making it personal. I was livid that he would even have the audacity to question that." She let out in one breath.

"Day, I love you, but you've got it bad. You're both being hypocritical about your feelings, because that exact situation is happening to him right now. Someone from the past, coming back and making him feel like an outsider. Sound familiar?"

"You know, I think I'm going to go back to ignoring your opinions." She said as she crossed her arms annoyed.

"Stop running from how you feel, and oh I don't know, try actually having a conversation with him." He teased at her. She smirked at his playfulness and glanced towards him.

"As much as I don't like you right now, thank you. I don't think I realized how much I needed to talk to someone. I've missed you." She said in a hushed voice as she reached over to gently squeeze his hand.

"Anytime, Day. But I will say, I'm giving him one more chance to not completely screw this up, and then I'm turning on the full charm to make you fall madly in love with me." He leered at her.

She playfully hit him on the arm, ignoring his sentiments and playing them off as a joke. She knew how he felt about her, and while she was here, thought about how easy it could be between them. But that's not what she wanted. She's known what she wanted since she found herself laying on Mulder's bed in Oregon while he poured his heart out to her on their first case.

"I think he's just as scared as I am to do anything about how we feel. I've pushed aside my own personal feelings to make sure that our work always came first. I never wanted to ruin what we had, or jeopardize our friendship. That's why I was so agitated and hurt when he accused me of making this personal." She said in a small voice.

"Well then maybe you're the one who needs to make the first move."

"I can't do that. I don't know how to even fathom the thought of throwing myself at him."

"Oh, I think you know exactly how to do that. Maybe you should take some notes from 17-year-old Dana Scully." He teased, stealing causal glances to watch the realization hit her face.

"Oh god! I can't believe you even remember that. I was so mortified. I still completely blame you for that, by the way. You intentionally got me drunk, and sent me to Marcus' house at midnight." She said as she buried her head in her hands.

"You just needed some liquid courage. His face was priceless when you flashed him through his bedroom window though. That is, before his dog woke up his entire household. I almost wish I would have recorded all of that from my view in the getaway car." He said as he chuckled at the memory. She groaned at the details, smiling as she remembered her past.

"I barely made it to the car with my shirt buttoned back up before his parents came running outside at the noise. I was so embarrassed."

"Why? It worked out, if I remember correctly, you got the guy." He said with a genuine sincerity in his voice. "Let me know if you need that kind of courage again, I'd be glad to see what present day Dana Scully is like with some liquid courage." He said as he playfully winked at her. She shook her head at him, somewhat relieved as they finally pulled up to the precinct.

"Alright, Doc. I'll leave you to the lab. I'll check in with Mulder and see if he received anything in the mail yet. Call up if you find anything, as much as I love spending time with you, I really want this to be over."

"Sounds good, be nice." She said with a point of her finger at him. He feigned being hurt by her warning, and she jokingly glared her eyes at him.

She had been in the lab for several hours, running tests on the blood work and examining the latest victim's body that had arrived shortly after she did. There was nothing in the scans, but she knew the drug was some sort of hallucinogen. Their main focus was finding how it was ingested, but there was no residue on any of the contents on either victim's packets. An idea popped into her head, and she inspected the inside of the victim's nose, swabbing it for residue. Her eyes widened as she found a sticky substance just on the inside of the nasal cavity. She immediately sent the new evidence to the lab for testing, and called Mulder right away.

"Mulder."

"Hey, it's me. I think I found something." She said excitedly about the potential break in the case. "There was some kind of substance in her nasal cavity. It looks like a liquid of some sort, so I don't know how it would have been inhaled."

"I don't know, I received my package today, but there was nothing suspicious about it when I opened it." He said distractedly.

"Wait, you already opened it? Mulder, that could be dangerous to you! We need to get you to a hospital right away, or at least come here so I can examine you." She said frustrated and worried for what danger he was potentially putting himself in. She turned at the sound of Reid making his entrance into the lab, and gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, uh, I'll head down there as soon as I'm done with this online registration thing. I wanted to make sure I followed all the instructions the other victims did."

"Mulder, please hurry. I'm, I - uh, I'm just worried." She stammered out.

"Come on, Scully. Have a little faith in me. I've dealt with some mind control before, and didn't pull the trigger on myself then." He scoffed out bitterly.

"That's not funny, Mulder. Please, just hurry up. I can send Reid to come pick you up."

"No offense, but I'd rather not. I'm leaving now, I'll meet you soon." He said as he disconnected the call. She slammed her phone shut, completely exasperated with him already.

"I was coming to check and see if there's an update, but I can tell you've definitely got some great news." Reid said sarcastically as he walked over towards her. He pulled her in for a hug, and she willingly relaxed into his embrace.

"He's just so-" She said as she growled into his chest.

"So you've said before. Wanna talk about it?"

"No..." She said with a heavy sigh. "He just pulls these stunts, and he's so reckless sometimes. I'm just worried that he's putting himself at an unnecessary risk."

"Well it's a good thing he's got you to have his back then. I couldn't think of a better person for the job. He's a lucky son of a bitch." He said as he rubbed her back for comfort. She chuckled into his chest, enjoying the moment. They didn't realize how long they were embracing until they heard the scoff come from the entrance of the lab.

"Sorry for interrupting, I can see you guys are really hard at work here." Mulder said as he clenched his jaw and turned on his heels to leave. She immediately distanced herself from Reid's embrace, running after Mulder.

"Would you stop, please?" She said as she caught up to him while he waited at the elevator.

"I didn't mean to bother you two in your important work. I can come back later." He growled at her.

"Mulder, please. I need to examine you and make sure you weren't exposed to the drug. I don't think I can handle it if you try to-" She paused, catching her breath in her throat at the thought of him killing himself, of losing him. She licked her lips and fought back the tears in her eyes. He could instantly see the shift in her demeanor, and walked towards her on instinct.

"Hey, nothing's going to happen to me. I think I've proven by now I'm pretty indestructible." He said as he shakily reached over to tuck a stray hair behind her ear.

"That mentality is what worries me the most." She said as she huffed out a small laugh. "Please, just let me check on you to at least ease my worries."

"Okay, sure." He said as he nodded in agreement. She led him back to the lab and caught Reid's gleam in his eyes.

"The lab report was just faxed over. Whoever is doing this is using some hell of a drug." Reid said as he walked towards Scully. She instructed Mulder to sit on one of the tables, and then turned her attention back towards Reid.

"They finally found a trace of it? From what, I sent over a few things." She said as she scanned through the reports.

"From the nasal cavity. Looks like the science whiz is as good as she says she is. Nice catch, kid." He leered at her and she flashed him a mocking glare.

"Mulder, do you remember ever touching your face when you opened the package?" She said turning her attention back towards him sitting on the table.

"Uh, no. Wait...when I opened it, I sneezed and covered my face I guess. But there was no residue on my fingers or hands." He said puzzled by her questioning.

She slapped on her gloves and walked towards him with the swab in her hand. She situated herself directly in front of him, practically between his legs. She leaned in closely to examine his nasal cavity, her face lingering just before his. They exchanged a few glances, both hiding the smile beginning to touch their lips. Reid watched in amusement, knowing they were hopefully somewhat moving in a positive direction.

"Mulder..." She said basically into his agape mouth. She wet her lips nervously and moved away from their close proximity. "I think you inhaled the drug. There's a residue on the swab. Somehow, they've liquified it, and when you sneezed and covered your face, you were exposed. We need to get you to the hospital to see if we can flush it out of your system before it's too late." She said in a small voice.

"So they're drugging people, but where does the mind control come into play. Why is this specific trip making people suicidal?" Reid asked exasperated with the lack of answers.

"Wait, you said you went online right after, correct?" Scully asked Mulder.

"Yeah, there's instructions for a special registration. There wasn't anything to it though, other than asking a bunch of semi-depressing questions that make recovering alcoholics really think about their life choices. It was actually worse than the original dating profile." He said nonchalantly.

"Maybe, mixed with the drug, there's some kind of mental game it's playing. We need to find out who's operating the site, and have it shut down immediately. Without the combination, you should just come off the trip normally." Scully said excited with the newest epiphany.

"I'll get my team on doing the back office dirty work. I'll meet you guys at the hospital in a bit." Reid said as he picked up his phone and dismissed himself.

"Come on, you're going to the hospital until this drug is completely out of your system, even if I have to restrain you." She said with a rise of her eyebrow.

"Oh, Scully. I didn't know you liked to play rough." He leered at her. She missed the innuendos, they were rare these past few months.

"Well maybe if you survive this one, I'll let you find out firsthand." She said with a mischievous smirk touching her lips. She cleaned up the rest of the lab, and took off her temporary sterile gown she threw on over her clothes. She gathered her things and glanced back at Mulder as she stopped at the entrance. "Do I need to drag you out of here?"

"Wh - no. I'm, uh, coming. Sorry." He stammered out. He was so completely shocked that she was actually playing back at his innuendos, it caught him off guard. He loved it.

They made their way to the hospital, and she situated Mulder into a room. She made him change and get comfortable, not leaving any opening for him to argue with her about this plan. As stubborn as he was, he loved when she took care of him.

"I'm putting you on a mix of a few antibiotics, and fluids. Mulder, this could get difficult. You're going to have to go through a major withdrawal." She said sympathetically.

"I think I'm at least pretty safe here."

"Yeah, well that's what we thought about the last victim." She scoffed in a small voice. Her fear about the situation was rising, and she was worried for him.

"Scully, hey...I'm not going anywhere." He said as he reached for her hand. She moved over to his side, and grasped onto it. They exchanged small smiles at each other, reassuring them both that they would make it out of this one, too.

"Me either. I'm going to be right here, until I know you're clear of all of this. I'm not letting you die on me, not yet." She said with strength in her voice, more so to convince herself to believe her own words.

"Nah, don't think you can get rid of me that easily." He teased as she chuckled at his attempt to mask the situation with humor.

"Yeah I know, trust me, I've tried a few times." She teased back. Reid made his presence known by clearing his throat, not wanting to break up their little moment, but needing to relay important information.

"Sorry, we caught the guy who runs the site. It took a few firewalls to break down, but we found the main IP address. He admitted to everything, but said he didn't know how many packages have been sent out. He's a recovering alcoholic himself, and also a brilliant chemist. We shut down the website, but he said the hallucinogen depresses the brain, making every doubt become extreme enough to commit suicide, with or without the website. That was more of an enhancer." Reid explained carefully.

"Did he say how long the drug will take to run its course, if they don't, uh-" She stammered, not wanting to say it.

"He said it could take anywhere from 2-4 days. Hopefully with the fluids in his body, we can speed up the process." Reid said sympathetically. "It's going to get nasty though, he was rambling about the drugs he mixed and liquified, and there's a lot mixing in the system right now. We sent out a warning to the entire manifest of subscribers, hopefully with enough time for them to prepare."

"Okay, thank you." She said in a small voice, turning her attention back to Mulder. "We're going to get through this." She said with a promise in her voice. He relished in the word 'we,' knowing she would always be by his side.

"I'll leave you two alone, I just wanted to fill you in." Reid said as he turned to leave. Scully excused herself momentarily and followed him out into the main hall, standing in the window, Mulder watching them closely.

"Thank you, for everything. I'm glad we were able to end this. We all make a pretty good team." She said lightly as she bumped his arm with hers.

"I think I'll feel better when I know he makes it out of this, too. But you're right, we did good work. I'd like to think it was my charm that motivated you, but I can clearly see that things are progressing with you two." He teased at her.

"I don't know. It's always like this with us. We're close when it's a life or death situation, but we can somehow never move that into our time away from work. I suppose that would be carrying it over into our personal lives, which he isn't a fan of." She scoffed as she crossed her arms in a protective stance.

"Don't sell him so short yet, give him a chance to prove that that's what he wants, too. I can tell you both are just as stubborn when it comes to your feelings, so it might take you a minute to get there, but he's a good guy. I can tell you I never have to worry about him not protecting you, he watches you like a dog." He said as he subtly gestured towards the gaze staring at them through the window.

"We work well together, our partnership is strong." She said in a small voice as a smirk touched her lips at the truths being thrown around.

"Yeah, you might be good at other things together, too." He leered at her. Her eyes widened and she playfully swatted at his chest. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in closer. He planted a chaste kiss on her lips, lingering there a little longer than he did the first time.

"Reid..." She whispered into his mouth, not pulling away yet.

"I just figured that was my last chance to do that. The minute he breaks out of this joint, I don't stand a chance." He flashed the charming grin at her that he knew so well. She let her mouth curve upwards, shaking her head at him.

She was broken from the moment at the beeping of the monitors coming from Mulder's room. She ran inside to check what happened, fear rising at the sight before her. She had never seen him so angry, fury burning through his eyes. He was moaning and cradling his head in his hands, heart rate increasing.

"Mulder, hey, calm down. It's me, I'm here." She attempted to mutter reassuring sentiments standing at the foot of his bed. He turned his attention to her, and her breath caught in her throat at the look in his eyes. She had never seen him look at her with so much...hatred. She fought back the tears that stung her eyes, and moved in closer to him.

"Dana, he could hurt you, he's absolutely crazy right now." Reid said as the doctors came running in to try to control him.

"No, I'm not leaving him. He needs me. I'm not afraid of him." She said more convincing herself than anyone else listening. She slowly approached the head of his bed, and reached to grab onto his hand. They had managed to restrain him, and she took that advantage to maintain the contact.

"Are you his next of kin?" The doctor asked hurriedly.

"Yes, I am. I'm also his doctor. How do we control this?" She asked with authority in her voice.

"We were briefed on his case, and we've been thinking the best solution is to put him in a medically induced coma. It'll give him the appropriate time for the drug to run its course, and it'll reduce the chance for danger to him, or anyone else." He explained carefully.

"You - you want to put him in a coma? What if, what if he doesn't wake up? What if that, mixed with the drug, causes the coma to be permanent?" She began to ask sporadically. Her mind was whirling and she couldn't think of an alternate answer.

"Day, think about it. It could be the best solution for him right now. He's more of a harm to himself awake, do you want to take that chance?" Reid asked sympathetically.

"No...just do it." She said in a small voice. The doctor instructed for them to bring in what they needed for the process. She let a small tear escape as she conceded to their plan. She knew she may not get a chance to tell him how she felt, and needed him to know while he was semi-conscious.

"Mulder, I know a lot of things don't make sense right now, and something put enough doubt in your mind to cause this outburst, but I need you to know, that I'm not going anywhere. I will always be here, right by your side." She let out a heavy sigh, increasing the grip on his hand. She could see them administering the drug, and him calming as it surged through his body. She leaned forward, watching him fight the drowsiness taking over him. She ran her fingers softly through his hair, stroking his hairline with feather light grazes. Just as his eyes were fluttering closed and his breathing was evening out, she leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his temple.

"I love you." She whispered into his ear just as he drifted off to unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

Scully had stayed by Mulder's hospital bedside for several hours, eventually drifting off to sleep in the chair, her head resting on his bed. Reid walked in with fresh coffee, sympathy rising for his friend.

"Day, come on sleeping beauty." He whispered as he gently attempted to wake her up. She grumbled at his attempt and he let out a silent chuckle. "I have coffee."

"It better at least be good coffee." She mumbled under her breath. He smiled and waited for her to come to full attention.

"How's he doing?"

"As good as anyone in a medically induced coma could be doing, I suppose. I know we have to wait for the drug to leave his system, but I hate this." She said solemnly.

"Well we're checking all his levels tomorrow, so hopefully we can wake him soon. You need to sleep." He said sternly, already knowing he was going to lose this argument. She glanced up at him with sad eyes, not wanting to distance herself from him.

"I was sleeping before you decided to wake me up."

"You can't be mad at the person who brought you coffee. You need real sleep though."

"I - I can't leave him. Reid, I -"

"You don't have to explain it to me, kid. I knew it was a lost cause of an argument the minute I brought it up, but I had to be the good friend, and at least try."

"Thank you, you've been great, with all of this. I really do appreciate it."

"That's what I'm here for, Day. I'll leave you to be alone with your boyfriend, and I'll be back with stronger coffee in the morning." He said as he leaned down to kiss her temple. She smiled at the gesture, and he made his exit, leaving her alone with Mulder once again.

The next morning, she was woken by the doctor, and startled awake, assuming something was wrong. The doctor calmed her immediately, reassuring her that everything was perfectly fine, as fine as it could be.

"Dr. Scully, we just wanted to go over the test results. We took some blood during early morning rounds, and we have some good news." He said hopefully. She sobered immediately, just as Reid was walking into the room. He made his way to stand beside her, and handed her coffee. She silently thanked him, and looked at the doctor expectantly.

"The drug is almost completely gone from his system. We want to try to wake him up, to see if there's any lingering symptoms, but we're optimistic that he should be back to normal." The doctor explained carefully.

"Okay, yeah." She said in a small voice. Reid pulled her in for a one-armed side hug, and she willingly relaxed into his embrace.

They waited patiently while the doctor administered the new drug, and Scully didn't realize she was holding her breath.

"Breathe." Reid whispered into her ear. He placed a gentle kiss on the side of her temple, and she exhaled deeply.

Several minutes passed, but there was no change in his state. She began to worry, but calmed herself, knowing this specific process didn't always show instant results. She disentangled herself from Reid's embrace to settle back into the chair beside him. She grasped onto his hand, silently wishing him awake. The doctor's informed her that now, they wait, and parted ways, leaving her alone with Mulder and Reid.

"He's going to wake up, Day. Don't worry." Reid said as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She reached up with her free hand to grab onto his, and nodded silently.

She remained by his bedside for the better part of the day, nervousness rising every minute that he didn't wake up. The doctors weren't too concerned, given the amount of drugs flowing through him, but that didn't erase the worry from her mind. His vitals were stable, and she knew medically, he was fine.

"Mulder, I need you to wake up. It's really selfish of you to leave me here, alone. Please..." She jokingly whispered as her voice began to drift off. She wiped away the small tear that escaped her eye as she heard Reid making his way into the room.

"How you holding up?" He asked with genuine concern.

"I'm alright, I think I'm just worried. I spoke with my mom earlier, she said to say hello." She said with a light smile.

"Well, I was always her favorite."

"Yeah, yeah. She did make a point to ask if you were married, had kids. I think she was planning the wedding in her mind as we spoke." Scully scoffed.

"I should give her a call, we can make the arrangements together." He teased at her. She chuckled and shook her head at him, enjoying that he was able to make her feel some ease in the current situation.

"I've never asked, but why aren't you shacked up with kids?"

"I guess I just never met the right one for me, not all of us are that fortunate. I was engaged for a few years, but we both realized it was more of a formality since we had been dating for so long, it's not really what we wanted."

"I'm sorry. You'll definitely meet someone, the right person."

"Well, see. I already have, but she's in love with this guy in a coma, it's a tricky situation." He teased. Color tinged her cheeks, and she bowed her head.

"Always the charmer." She teased back.

"What about you? You never wanted the married with kids thing?"

"The last serious relationship I really had, it just wasn't leading in that direction. Plus, now I can't even -" She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I found out a few years ago that I can't have children."

"Dana, I'm so sorry. That must have been hard on you."

"It was when I first found out, but I think I've come to accept it now."

"I admire your strength, you know that?" He said as he cradled her face, running his thumb over her cheek. He smiled at her, and she looked at him with shining eyes. They basked in the moment for a few minutes, getting lost in what could have been. Neither noticed that Mulder had opened his eyes.

He watched the scene play out, overhearing the end of their conversation, guilt flushing through him. His stomach began to turn and he couldn't decipher if it was from the drugs mixing in his system or the sight before him. He cleared his throat, making it aware that he was awake.

"Mulder?" Scully said, instantly separating from her moment with Reid, to cater to his side. "You're awake." She said in a hushed tone, fighting back the tears in her eyes.

The drug symptoms were still lingering in his bloodstream, and he was fighting with the inner feelings of anger and jealously at the sight of Reid and Scully.

"What happened?" He asked bitterly in a raspy voice.

"You, uh, you started to get uncontrollable. We know it was the drug, but we don't know what set it off. The doctor suggested we put you in a coma until your levels came down. We administered the process to reverse it this morning, but there's still some of the drug inside of you." She explained gently as she stroked his hair softly. He relaxed into the contact, and nodded in understanding.

"Are the restraints still necessary?" He asked as he gestured towards his arms and legs being tethered to the bed.

"That depends if you're still hostile. Mulder, the look in your eyes, I've never seen you so angry."

"I'm sorry, if I scared you. To be fair, I was under the influence." He smiled sheepishly at her. She let out a small chuckle, relieved that he was himself again.

"I suppose we can take them off then, I am still armed, I'll take my chances."

"Did you just threaten to shoot your partner Agent Scully?" Reid finally spoke up, trying to ease the mood. Mulder gritted his teeth, fighting the emotions running through him. Scully noticed the change in demeanor, and could see his heart rate increasing slightly on the monitor.

"I've followed through on the threat, too. But that's a story for another time. I, uh, do you mind if..." She began to stammer.

"I can take the hint, call me if you need anything. I'm glad you're okay, Mulder." He said before placing a soft kiss on her cheek and leaving to head back to the precinct. Mulder visibly scoffed at the action, confused about everything.

"How are you feeling?" She asked turning her attention back to him.

"As good as anyone waking up from a coma would be. You didn't have to stay here, Scully. I can tell you haven't slept."

"Mulder, I wasn't lying when I said I wasn't going anywhere." She said with promise in her voice. That moment caused another flash of realization for Mulder as he replayed the last words he remembers before succumbing to the darkness. I love you.

"Thanks. I'm awake now, and there are no suicidal tendencies, more than normal at least. You should head back and get some rest."

"I'm not leaving you, I'm fine."

"I've heard that one before, which is why I don't completely believe you. Please, for me?" He asked with that puppy dog look she couldn't resist.

"Fine, I'm going to talk with your doctor first, then I'll head back. I'll be by first thing in the morning." She said sternly. He just nodded, relieved that she was actually listening to him.

She made her way back to the hotel, completely exhausted from the past few days. Her mind was whirling with every new revelation she uncovered recently, and she had never been more conflicted. As much as she hated to admit it, the look in Mulder's eyes terrified her. She had never seen him so furious with her, and after pondering over the facts, knew it had to do with her relationship with Reid. She was more annoyed that he would ever doubt how she felt about him, personally.

The next morning she was getting ready to make her way back to the hospital, and was broken from her morning routine by the knocking at the main door. She was only in her towel, coming straight from the shower, and sighed as she made her way to find out who was causing the incessant sound. She looked through the peephole, and was puzzled to see Reid standing there.

"Room service, although, I think I'm the one getting the treat here." He teased as he raked over her appearance.

"Oh gee, my Prince Charming. Come in, I just need to finish getting ready so I can head back to the hospital." She said as she rolled her eyes.

"Please, no rush." He leered at her. "Especially considering your boyfriend broke out of the joint early this morning. Snuck past the guard, the doctor, and managed to sweet talk the nurses into helping him escape."

"I can't believe he would-" She growled, completely frustrated. "What if he still has the drugs in his system, what if he's in danger?" She began to ask frantically.

"Relax, I brought you his charts, the drug is completely flushed out of him. I'm more concerned for the danger he'll be in when you get your hands on him." He teased.

She scoffed and buried her head into his chest, him wrapping one arm around her for comfort. She enjoyed how easily he was able to calm her down, forgetting about the current struggles that shadowed her life.

"Sorry for interrupting, I just came to get my things." Mulder said as he slammed the front door behind him. Fury was burning through his eyes at the sight of them, her in a towel, embraced in his arms. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily, knowing already the miscommunication happening.

"Mulder, why did you leave the hospital? That was incredibly stupid, I was worried for you." She said in a small voice, seriousness implied.

"Yeah, I can really tell how worried you were." He huffed as he pushed past them. He slammed his bedroom door behind him, leaving them standing awkwardly in the living room.

"Well, that's my cue to leave. Call me, I want to see you before you head home." He said as he bumped her arm with his, trying to ease the mood. She wordlessly nodded, knowing the conversation she needed to have with Mulder.

She changed quickly into jeans and a sweater, considering the work was done, and made her way to his room. She knocked lightly several times, each going unanswered. Letting out a heavy sigh, she placed a shaky hand on the doorknob, only leaving wishful thinking that he would leave it unlocked. She was relieved when it opened with ease, and peered her head inside. It was then that she heard the sound of the water running from the shower, and situated herself on the end of the bed, waiting.

"Scully..." Mulder said with a heavy sigh as he exited the bathroom. He mentally scolded himself for forgetting to lock the door behind him after his tantrum.

"We need to talk." She said pointedly, masking the shakiness in her voice.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm sorry I overreacted earlier. I've, uh, been thinking a lot about it actually." He said softly as he sat down beside her.

"About what?" She asked cautiously.

"Just, everything. I keep dragging you on these ridiculous cases, taking your life away from you. I think I realized that more than anything, seeing you with Reid. There's so much more for you, Scully. You could be happy." He let his voice drift off. She fought back the tears in her eyes at his revelations. How had he gotten it so wrong?

"Mulder, that's not what this is about. Reid and I, we have a past, yes, but that's all it is. He was my best friend through some of the most important years of my life. I'm not going to apologize for that, but there's a giant misunderstanding. He-"

"Hey, it's okay, Scully. I've seen the way you two are, you don't have to hide that from me. I'm happy for you. The room is ours for 2 more days, but I'm planning to head back tonight, so enjoy your weekend." He said with a finality to the discussion.

"Are you going to let me explain anything to you?" She asked with annoyance.

"There's nothing to explain. I'm still kind of tired, escaping from a hospital is more exhausting than you think. I'm going to try to rest, if you don't mind." He said with a dismissal. She scoffed and pursed her lips, rising from his bed. She began to storm out of his room, before stopping to turn to face him, fire in her eyes.

"You're an idiot." Was all she said, point crystal clear. She slammed the door behind her before grabbing her purse and storming out.

She went for a walk along the water to clear her head. There was always something about the smell, and the breeze washing over her that she found a small ounce of serenity in. She lost track of time, and figured she had been sulking long enough. She wasn't ready to face Mulder yet, so she called a cab to take her to the precinct.

"Miss me already?" Reid said with his charming grin. She plopped down on his couch, throwing her head back exhaustedly. "That great a morning, huh?"

"I don't even know where to begin. I want to strangle him, maybe shoot him again." She scoffed, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Well, that was his last chance to not blow this. So what do you say to lunch with me, then maybe dinner, and then we can plan the wedding." He teased. She let the smirk touch her lips before glaring at him playfully.

"I was thinking more along the lines of getting to know drunk present day Dana Scully."

"Ah, you always were the smart one. I love the way you think." He leered at her before grabbing his coat. "Shall we?"

They made their way to a nearby bar, situating themselves at a small table. Reid already devised a plan for the rest of the day in his head the minute she made the suggestion.

"So, what happened?" He asked genuinely.

"Oh no, that's going to take me at least 3 tequila shots to even begin getting into." She huffed as she threw back her first one.

"It didn't take him long to ruin the moment."

"The worst part is, he thought he was doing the right thing. He kept rambling on about how he was ruining my life, and how I could be happy with you, and he basically pushed me out the door." She said angrily as she threw another shot back.

"So wait, he honestly has no clue how you feel about him?"

"No! He's an idiot. An exhausting, frustrating, stubborn jack ass of an idiot." She said, taking her third shot.

"Who's fault is it that he doesn't know?" He asked slowly, chuckling at her already buzzed state.

"I don't like you anymore." She said, over-dramatically pouting.

"Well, one more drink and I'll be your favorite person." He teased at her.

She could feel the alcohol rushing through her, and the lightheadedness was increasing. She felt safe with Reid, which is why she kept drinking her sorrows away. She just wanted a moment to forget everything that had gone so wrong with her and Mulder.

They stayed at the bar a few more hours, leading into the early evening. She was well into being drunk, and he was enjoying seeing this side of her. He smiled to himself, knowing she was just about where he wanted her. He made a call, finalizing his plan.

"Mulder."

"Hey, it's Reid. I, uh, have a little situation on my hands here."

"Oh, uh, you should probably call Scully. I'm actually waiting at the airport, I'm leaving tonight." He said slightly puzzled at the reasoning for the call.

"That's actually my problem, she's currently indisposed at the moment."

"Is everything okay? Did something happen? Where is she?" He began to ask frantically. Reid smiled at his true emotions shining through his cool exterior.

"She's fine, I think. Could you come pick her up? I've avoided enough work for today, and really need to head back to wrap up a few things. She needs to sleep this off." He explained mysteriously, not providing any details.

"I'm, uh -" Mulder let out a heavy sigh at the change of plans, but he knew he couldn't abandon her if she needed him. "I'll be there soon." He finally conceded as Reid gave him the address.

He arrived at the location, confused at the setting. He furrowed his brow, looking around for another place, finally approaching the bar. He peered inside, and saw Reid sitting at a table with Scully, who was leaning her head against his shoulder, mumbling something with her eyes closed.

"Is she okay?" Mulder asked as he slowly neared them.

"She will be, she just needs to sleep it off. This is all you now." Reid said with amusement as he nudged her awake.

"Mulder! Hey, look, Mulder's here. You're here. Are you still mad?" She slurred, feigning to make an angry face. She broke out in a full blown giggle before throwing her arms around Mulder's neck as she attempted to stand. "I'm tired." She said, her mouth lingering just before his. He could smell the alcohol on her breath, intoxicating him along with the sight of her.

"Jesus, how much did she have to drink?" He directed his question towards Reid.

"Boozy here had a little too much, I think she lost count. I'm heading back, call me if you need anything." He said as he got up to head outside, smirk touching his lips.

Mulder panicked for a moment, not knowing how to handle this new situation. He guided her outside to the cab, and situated them both in the backseat. She immediately laid her head in his lap, cuddling in to their closeness. He hesitantly laid his hand on her back, smiling down at her. He regretted his outburst earlier in the day, knowing that pushing her into the arms of another man was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

When they arrived at the hotel, he struggled to get her out of the car. He managed to get her to the door of their room before she began to slump sleepily. He held her to him with one arm around her waist for support, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. As he got the door open, he cradled her in his arms, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. She hummed into the embrace, and he let the small smile touch his lips. He gently placed her in her own bed, but she left her arms around his neck in protest.

"Scully..." He whispered, gently trying to rouse her enough to release her hold on him.

"Mm mm, don't go." She mumbled sleepily. His eyes widened, and his own stubborn head caused him to automatically assume she thought he was Reid.

"Scully, it's Mulder. I'm just going to take off your coat, and shoes and let you sleep, okay?" He said gently.

"Mm okay." She said as she unclasped her hands. He helped make her comfortable before making his way over to her closer again.

"Alright, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"I said don't go...Mulder." She whispered as their mouths lingered in close proximity.

He didn't object, her words clear. He took off his own coat and shoes, settling in beside her. He froze as she cuddled into his side, throwing her arm over his chest. He smiled, relishing in this moment, knowing it may never come for them again. He replayed everything that happened in the last few days, even more confused now than he was before. As she cuddled in deeper, his mind wandered back to the last words she uttered before slipping into his unconsciousness. He looked down at her, knowing this was right.

"I love you, too." He whispered barely loud enough for himself to hear.

The next morning Scully began to stir awake, her head screaming at her in protest to any sudden movements. She groaned as she buried her head back into her pillow, replaying the events of the prior day in her buzzing mind. She blindly reached out next to her, remembering she fell asleep next to another warm body. Mulder. She shot up in bed at the realization, and began to take in her surroundings. His jacket was still set over the chair in her room, and she knew it wasn't a dream.

"Morning, Scully!" Mulder said overly excited and extra loud upon seeing her disheveled appearance.

"Why are you shouting, please tell me there's coffee." She said as she sluggishly made her way to the couch. She plopped down and threw her head back, already regretting that last drink.

"I made extra coffee, I figured you'd need it." He said with a chuckle. He came to sit next to her, letting her lead the conversation, unsure about how much she remembered.

"After I drink at least 3 cups of this, please remind me to kill Reid."

"He already called this morning to see if you were still alive, I let him know I could hear you snoring, so the chances were pretty good." He teased.

"I do not snore!" She said as the smirk touched her lips. She wet her mouth nervously, not knowing how to approach the newest development in their relationship. "Mind filling me in on the details? Things get a little hazy after my third tequila shot."

"Well, the drunken evening, you'd probably have to speak with Reid to fill in the blanks. I just got the call to come and pick you up."

"Is, uh, that all the happened?"

"Yeah, I got you home, and you pretty much passed out from there."

"Oh, okay. Thank you." She let out in a small whisper. They were both mentally beating themselves up for not acknowledging the night they spent together, as innocent as it was.

"I'm sorry, about yesterday. I didn't mean to just dismiss you like that, I think I was just letting my own stubbornness take over. Truth is, I was sitting at the airport when Reid called me." He admitted with a shaky sigh.

"You were really going to leave?"

"Uh, yeah, I was. I couldn't leave my partner though." He said lightly as he nudged her arm with his own. She smiled at the gesture.

"Mulder, did-" Her voice was cut off by the chiming of her phone. She sighed heavily, annoyed they could never have this conversation.

"Scully."

"Well good morning to you sunshine. How's that head feeling?" Reid teased.

"Oh, it's the person that I was planning to murder later on today. And before you make some smart-mouthed comment, yes, this is absolutely me threatening a sheriff." She said trying to mask the smirk taking over her face. Mulder excused himself to take a shower, and she just nodded apologetically.

"I thought we were just pulling the old high school trick, don't tell me the liquid courage didn't work."

"I don't know what it did, I don't remember a lot, thanks to you. I think, he slept with me in my bed last night, because I remember asking. When I woke up, he was gone, and I thought I only made that up, but his coat is still hanging on the chair in my room." She said in a small voice, stealing glances towards his closed bedroom door. She didn't know that he was on the other side, listening in.

"Oh, now we're talking. Please tell me something else happened, because otherwise you both are absolutely hopeless."

"No, nothing happened. We're not hopeless, we just - I don't know. It's frustrating, but I don't know if I'm ready to move in that direction with him. I also don't know if that's what he wants."

"Honey, you are so blind. He jumped the minute I said you were in some kind of trouble, if that doesn't tell you how he feels, maybe you're just in denial."

"We're partners, it's instinct for us to take care of one another."

"Yeah, well for partners, you two suck at actual communication. You could always fully pull the high school trick, I think you flashing him would make the point crystal clear." He teased at her.

"Would you shut up, you're just adding to the list of things I plan on killing you for." She teased back. "Thank you, though. I needed last night, no matter what your motives really were."

"Well I'm glad it worked out in your guys' weird way. Y'all are something else, I tell you. Don't waste the rest of the trip, Day. Take your chance."

"I'm scared. I don't know if I can handle his rejection." She said, sobering at the confession.

"You're still not getting how much he loves you in return are you? Take the chance, and if it completely blows up in your face, well I'd be happy to be the shoulder you cry on." He said genuinely. She smiled at his sentiments, glad to have an old friend back.

"I've definitely missed you. I'll call you a little later, maybe we can meet up for dinner. We leave tomorrow, so I definitely want to see you before we head out."

"Sure thing, kid. Call me later." He said as he disconnected the call. She smiled as she hung up, eyebrow raising at the lack of water she heard running. She chuckled to herself, knowing Mulder was listening in, finding reassurance that he cared.

She began to rummage through the refrigerator to make breakfast, devising a plan to talk to him. When he finally emerged from his room, they exchanged small smiles, both nervous about having the conversation they knew was necessary.

"Something smells good, Scully. Apparently we both have some hidden culinary skills." He teased.

"Mine aren't as surprising, considering I don't only have expired juice and leftovers in my fridge."

"You wound me! Maybe it's because I don't have anyone to cook for, like I've had these past few days." He teased before eyes-widening at his words. "Scully, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, it's been nice." She said in a small voice, not meeting his eyes. He let out a sigh of relief.

"It has for me, too." He said as he came to stand beside her. They both could feel the nervousness rising in them. "So what did Reid want?" He asked, cursing himself for bringing up another guy to break up the moment.

"He was just calling to check on the damage he caused. Some things never change with that one." She chuckled to herself and shook her head.

"What's the story with you two anyway? I've been a little too, Mulder-ish to ask." He said as he smiled sheepishly at her. She brought their plates to the table, and he grabbed the coffee, following her.

"We were extremely close in high school, he was my best friend. We got ourselves into some interesting times, but he was always there for me. Through boys, and classes, and whatever else."

"He seems like a good guy."

"He really is. I've missed him, but that just seems like another lifetime ago."

"Before alien abductions, mutants, and crackpot partners, right?" He said with a hint of guilt in his voice.

She slowed her chewing and glanced up to face him. The raw emotions mixing through his eyes, matched with the expression on his face, caused her to gain all the courage she needed.

"You really don't get it, do you?"

"Get what, Scully?" He broke from his thoughts, looking up to catch her gaze.

"I suppose Reid was right, it is my fault that you've ever doubted it. Mulder, why do you think I've stuck around for all of these years?"

"You're too loyal and honest for your own good."

"Not honest, at least not with you, or myself. You can accuse me of making this personal, but for me, it is. I meant what I said, without the FBI, personal interest is all I have. And I don't just mean that in the sense that you're my best friend, Mulder I -" She stopped, seeing him begin to fidget anxiously. "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, I'm sorry. I never should have accused you of that, considering I've probably let my own feelings cloud my judgement, especially recently, and always when it comes to you."

She caught his gaze, and they silently passed every emotion they've ever had for each other through their eyes. She smiled, knowing that there was so much more to be said, but they would get there on their own time. Without Reid, she would have never allowed herself to relax, and open up to Mulder the way she had during their stay here. He matched her smile, feeling relieved that they were once again able to move past the standstill they found themselves in. They spent the rest of the day holed up in the room, getting to know each other better, even after 6 years of being partners.

"Yeah, Scully." She answered, the grogginess causing her voice to take a husky tone.

"Sorry to wake you up, sunshine. You do know it's like 5 pm right?" Reid asked with amusement in his voice.

"I - uh, must have lost track of time." She said as she attempted to hide the satisfaction in her voice.

"Right, well I was calling to see if you still wanted to do dinner, but I can tell by the sound of your voice, you're preoccupied." He teased. The color rose to her cheeks as she turned to glance back at the bare chested man sleeping next to her.

"You could say that...sorry for the change of plans. I'll call you tomorrow, I still want to see you before I leave." She said genuinely.

"No need to apologize, I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, and you're welcome." He leered at her. She let the full smirk touch her lips as she hung up the phone, and settled herself back in bed.

She turned to face him, and cuddled into his side, their bare skin melding together. She let her mind wander to what this could truly mean for the future of their relationship, but didn't want to hold any expectations. She simply smiled, finding some small solace in this new connection that they shared.

She didn't know what would happen the minute the wheels hit the tarmac in DC again, but she knew that they would always have Seattle.


End file.
